[Campbell Biology P.708] According to the text, what are the oldest fossils widely accepted ... | Practice Question

According to the text, what are the oldest fossils widely accepted as fungi, and approximately when did they live?

  • A: Unicellular marine eukaryotes from 1.5 billion years ago.
  • B: Fossil hyphae from the fungus *Tortotubus* from 440 million years ago.
  • C: Terrestrial species that colonized land 505 million years ago.
  • D: Aquatic, single-celled, flagellated protists from over a billion years ago.

Explanation

The text explicitly states: 'although fungi probably originated in aquatic environments, the oldest fossils that are widely accepted as fungi are of terrestrial species that lived 440 million years ago Figure 31.9 .' Figure 31.9's caption identifies these as 'Fossil hyphae from the fungus Tortotubus 440 million years ago .'